Game call devices are widely used to attract turkeys or other game for hunting, observation or other purposes. A conventional game call device which is commonly used to attract turkeys includes a hand-held game caller having a strike plate which is made of stone, ceramic, Formica or metal and has a flat strike plate surface. A striker which typically includes an elongated wooden shaft is repeatedly scraped against the strike plate surface to produce vibration sounds which simulate a mating call or other sounds made by a wild turkey and therefore attract turkeys to the area. The quality and types of sounds which are produced by scraping the striker against the strike plate surface depend on both the material composition of the strike plate and the striker and the experience and skill of the user.
Conventional game call devices having a stone, ceramic, Formica or metal strike plate have several drawbacks. Beginners or unskilled persons frequently have difficulty mastering the proper technique required to correctly scrape the striker against the strike plate surface in order to authentically simulate mating and other sounds made by a turkey. Moreover, there is typically little or no variation in the sound which can be produced by scraping the striker against different areas or regions of the strike plate surface since substantially the same sound is produced at all areas or regions on the surface. Thus, the variety of simulated turkey sounds which can be produced using game call devices having a strike plate made of these conventional materials is limited.
It has surprisingly been found that use of a strike plate made of petrified wood provides a game call device use of which is easily mastered by beginners and which generates a variety of simulated turkey sounds depending on the area of the strike plate surface against which the striker is scraped.
Accordingly, a game call device having a strike plate of petrified wood and a game call method using a game call device having a strike plate of petrified wood are needed.